JAMES MCPAKE has called for football to have a broader conversation about head injuries after "uncomfortable" after-effects endured by one of his stars.

The Pars boss said "more needs to be done" in relation to player welfare in those circumstances.

McPake, who has previously called for a debate on the issue, was speaking after his vice-captain, Chris Hamilton, suffered a head injury during a win at Arbroath last month.

The 22-year-old was taken off during that game and then sat out Dunfermline's following two fixtures, before being cleared to return for the scoreless draw with Queen's Park.

There was the impact of the injury itself but the aftermath concerned his boss even more, prompting him to express his belief that the sport needs to have more discussions to ensure players' wellbeing.

"It’s great to see Hammy training and playing again," McPake commented.

"And, I’m being genuinely serious with this, but him speaking and not being comfortable in certain situations, like a busy dressing room or busy places, that's the first time I've seen that. That wasn't nice to watch.

"We never would take a chance, and I know I keep going on about this, but it's just another reason to mention just how important head injuries, and the management of them, are.

"We would never risk a player with a head injury, but that's genuinely the first I've seen where it's affected someone that badly.

"Hammy would be ok one minute, and then he would get uptight and think everyone was looking at him.

"It was weird and it was pretty uncomfortable.

"At the same time, he was wanting to train and wanting to play, but you're judging it and looking at it, and thinking 'he can hardly hold a conversation the way he normally would'.

"Then, speaking to him at night, he would say, 'I had to shoot away early, I was uncomfortable'.

"He would pass all the tests. But then the dressing room would start to get busy, the music would go on and people would be talking, and he didn’t feel comfortable.

"It was certainly an eye-opener for me. We'll always be careful with them but, again, when you see that, you're glad you are.

"Ahead of Saturday’s game, he was back to himself and holding conversations, and interacting with the rest of the team.

"It was worrying watching it."

Another player, Sam Fisher, suffered two concussions in a short space of time and missed matches for the Pars as a result of head knocks during play.

McPake continued: "I suppose the bigger worry for me is if people aren’t managed carefully in similar situations.

"At certain clubs, with certain players, could they have the influence to say, ‘I’m playing’?

"I maybe bang on about this issue too much, but I don’t know how you fix it.

"I think with football clubs, across the board, there can’t be a grey area. There’s got to be a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, and not a case of putting him into training and seeing how it goes.

"That could expose the player to these situations where they might feel uncomfortable. or the big thing is risking another head injury.

"It certainly needs more attention, there needs to be a more broad conversation across the game on this issue.

"Does it happen in every game? No. But the consequences of a serious head knock can be serious.

"Referees need to be better in dealing with head knocks, and managers and coaches need to be better.

"If your player has got a head knock, you either need to make sure they're ok, first and foremost, or, if you can't make sure they're ok, you need to take them off, regardless of how big a game is, regardless of what's at stake.

"You can win league titles, you can win cups, but it's all irrelevant if you've not got your health. That's the main thing we're looking at with players, and taking care of them.

"More needs to be done."